Twisting Time
by SuperNova23
Summary: Having rewound time over a hundred times, a time traveller meets the Guardian of the Time Stream. And she is not pleased.


**I'm so sorry that I haven't put out anything in a long time. I've had a whirlwind of a year with both happy and sad stuff, but it's taken a lot of time. Anyway, second year of university has started, meaning that I'll be trying to work more, but I can't promise anything. Please wait warmly while I work on existing and new projects.**

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><p>Homura sighed as she flipped the hourglass on her shield. She had failed once more. Madoka had one Grief Seed left and had spent it on her Saul Gem, before asking Homura to kill her. That would go against her own wish, so if she did kill Madoka, she would instantly become a Witch herself. So her only choice was to reverse time. She was redoing this month once more.<p>

The sensation of reversing time was quick, but instead of waking up in her hospital bed with her pigtails and bleary vision, she found herself still fully garbed in her Puella Magi outfit, with her feet touching down gently on the floor. She peered through the fog around her, but she couldn't see a foot in front of her. She could see the vague outline of someone in front of her however she couldn't properly make out any defining features.

She focused her magical energy into her eyes to heighten her vision beyond what it was. She could make out other things now, such as the fact that they were a fair bit taller than herself, and had long hair. She could also tell they were wearing a sleeveless top and a skirt. She inwardly scowled at how short it looked before focusing on the situation. "Who are you, and why am I here?"

The figure replied, stepping out of the fog. "I am Sailor Pluto, guardian of the Gates of Time, and you're here because your constant rewinds are causing more and more drastic changes in the time stream." She was revealed to have tan skin, knee-high boots, and green highlights in her hair.

Homura sized her up, unimpressed. "…Aren't you a little old to be a Magical Girl?" She asked.

The woman looked startled and a little angry at the same time. Homura was pleased with herself as she tried to recover. "My powers don't work that way. I still have my soul inside my body. Anyway, that isn't important." Homura wasn't going to sit through her boring speech, so she prepared to find an exit out of here by flipping her hourglass.

_Clang!_

Sailor Pluto held her rod in an inverted grip so the thin part was stuck into the gears of Homura's shield. "No! No more of that! That's the whole problem!"

Homura raised an eyebrow. "My power? This is mine, and you have no right to stop me from using it!"

Sailor Pluto stepped closer to Homura. "Well, while you've been failing, you've been making my job harder. I keep things on track, but each month, there's a new divergence thanks to you! Did it ever occur to you that Madoka was never supposed to survive?"

That last comment was more than Homura was willing to take. She pulled away and stalked off. "Leave me alone! I'll get out of here and save her myself! You'll see!"

Sailor Pluto stopped her. "You're an insolent child, you know that? But you are devoted, and that is admirable." As Homura turned and glared at her, she continued, "I have an idea. I'll help you one last time. This is your last chance. While I can't influence the events of your life directly, I will do as much as I can."

Homura's glare had softened, but her expression was still guarded. "What do you get out of it?"

Sailor Pluto had a twinkle of amusement. "This job is disgustingly boring and lonesome. You'll return to be my apprentice as a guardian of the time stream. Every year, you'll have to spend a month here, leaning how difficult this actually is, as well as keeping me company. During the rest of the year, I don't care what you do. You can stay or leave, your choice." She extended her gloved hand to Homura.

She thought about it before taking the Time Guardian's hand and shaking it. "Deal."

Sailor Pluto took her hand and guided her to a large set of doors. "These are the Gates of Time. Go through them and you'll wake up in your hospital bed again."

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><p>In the space outside of the Time Stream, two women sat across from each other, a tea set on the table in between them.<p>

"I have to say, this is your best pot of tea yet." The master said to her apprentice.

"Thank you. Mami-san taught me how to make it just right." The apprentice replied.

"By the way, you've been coming here a lot more lately. What changed?" The older woman asked again.

"Two reasons. This way, I can look back on the different times I spent with my Goddess when she was still human. Also, she is the guardian of Puella Magi. I figure by spending more time here, I can help everyone else by pulling double duty. I eliminate Wraiths, and then I take time off here while you teach me how to make sure future events have the best resolution for humanity." Homura said with a hint of smugness and pride in her voice.

Sailor Pluto took another sip of tea. "You've really started to impress me with your dedication. And those wings are a good look for you."

Homura shrugged, stretching out her wings of energy, swirling with colours inside of them. "I like them. They're no angel wings, but I do serve as your errand girl a lot."

Both shared a chuckle at that. "Now, now. You know what I send you do to is much more important. You're not bound to this post, so you need to be my herald, correcting things before they become a major issue because-"

"Leaving the time stream unattended for even a moment can be disastrous. I think I got it by now." Homura finished.

She knew that one day, her Soul Gem would fill with Grief, and she'd be able to be with her Goddess. Until that day came, she would keep visiting her mentor, since they were the only two who knew of her struggle and understood her.


End file.
